Archive for May, 2012

Dr. Wayne Dyer, PhD is an international best-selling author of more than 30 books, has created many audio programs and videos, and has appeared on thousands of television and radio shows. I first saw Dr. Dyerin the early 1990’s in Chicago and truly enjoyed his inspirational words at that time.

For the past 20 years Dr. Dyer has become affectionately known as the “Father of Motivation”. He spent his childhood in orphanages and foster homes and overcame many obstacles to make his dreams come true. He has spent much of his time showing others how to do the same.

Dr. Dyer has a new public television special based on his book, Wishes Fulfilled, where the main message is that it is possible for every person to live an extraordinary life. What’s more, it is possible for every person to manifest their deepest desires, when they honor their inner divinity and consciously choose to live from their “Highest Self”.

Dr. Dyer is enthusiastic about chiropractic and recently created a 2-minute video discussing the health care crisis that the United States is facing. He credits chiropractic with having necessary answers to this very volatile situation. You can watch his message here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdcFt2PJZ84&feature=share

An article in Dynamic Chiropractic revealed that Dr. Robert Cantu, one of the top experts in the field of concussion in sports, was invited to speak at the 6th Annual Educational Symposium for the Professional Football Chiropractic Society. More than 130 chiropractors, chiropractic students and representatives from the NFL were in attendance.

Dr. Cantu, a neurosurgeon and consultant to the National Football League’s Head, Neck and Spine Committee, presented current research along with standard practices for the diagnosis and management of mild traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Cantu also addressed the benefits of chiropractic to help relieve the secondary complaints from a concussion that affects the nerves in the neck. These symptoms include: headaches, burning facial pain, reddening of the face and other sympathetic nerve reactions.

Dr. Doug Miller, team chiropractor for the Baltimore Ravens, commented, “Dr. Cantu’s lecture brings to the forefront the importance of proper technique, evaluation, and management of concussions. We now have evidence that this type of injury can have long-lasting impairment and it is vital that concussed athletes of all ages have proper time for recovery.”

Almost every NFL team has a chiropractor in their sports medicine unit. So do most of the other professional sports teams. The doctor’s main focus is to keep the athletes safe and to help them get better faster when there is any kind of injury. Professional sports are taking lots of precaution since there is so much information coming out about the effects of concussions. A big concern; however, is that the children who play sports are not receiving the kind of help they need. There are volunteer health professionals, including sports chiropractors at some children’s sporting events yet not to the extent one sees with the professional teams.

Perhaps more parents will follow in the footsteps of the NFL and add a chiropractor as part of their child’s health care team, allowing for proper recovery after injuries. I know first hand of the benefits of chiropractic since many parents bring their children in for an adjustment due to sport related incidences.

Did you know that the human fetus develops seven times more quickly than an infant? Because of this rapid growth, the fetus is very sensitive to biomechanical forces that lead to constraining pressures and molding. Accidents, slips, falls, multiple pregnancies, sleeping on one’s stomach, scoliosis, poor posture, poor ergonomic work habits, household duties, sporting activities, playing an instrument and other biomechanical forces may affect the spinal development of the fetus.

After the seventh month of pregnancy the fetus should move into the head down position. When the fetus does not turn head down this is called In-Utero Constraint; which can create increased biomechanical forces to the fetus. This can alter the development of bone, cartilage, muscle and ligament. Let’s look at a study showing the effects that the breech presentation has on babies.

Dunn, a medical doctor reviewed 6,000 cases of breech babies and found the following occurrences:

~42% develop Postural Scoliosis

~20-25% Torticollis, Mandibular Asymmetry

~50% Hip Dislocation

Do the results of this study help you to understand why it is important to do everything to help turn that baby head down? If you watched my latest E-Video you know that the Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique helps turn babies head down up to 82% of the time. There also is information about how chiropractic can help babies that suffer from the maladies as listed by Dr. Dunn, yet shall save that for another E-Brief.

Let’s continue with a few more studies that show the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy. This one discusses how it helps shorten labor and then the next one shows how it can help decrease back pain in labor.

In one study Dr. Fallon, a chiropractic physician, reported on her clinical findings that:

~First time mothers who received chiropractic care during pregnancy had a mean labor time of 8 hours.

~Those first time mothers who did not receive chiropractic care on average went through a labor time of 14 hours. (six hours longer)

~Women who had given birth more than once and underwent chiropractic care during pregnancy had a labor time of 4 to 5 hours.

~Those women who had given birth more than once and who did not receive chiropractic care had an average labor time of 9 hours. (4 – 5 hours longer)

Diakow, a chiropractic physician, reviewed a study involving 400 pregnant women to look at the percentage of women suffering from back pain in pregnancy and whether chiropractic care helped to reduce back pain in labor.

~Back pain was experienced in 43.5% of pregnancies and 44.7% of the deliveries.

~Of the 170 pregnancies with reported back pain, 72% also reported back pain during labor.

~Of the women studied, 37 received chiropractic adjustments during their pregnancies.

~It was found that 84% of these women reported relief of back pain during labor.

Did you find this informative? If so perhaps you know of a pregnant woman, midwife or obstetrician who wants to be informed as well.

In 1964 the national U.S. cesarean section rate was 4.5%; however, the national cesarean section rate is much higher and has been increasing steadily for more than a decade. In 2007 the rate was 31.8%, meaning that about one mother in three now gives birth by cesarean section, a record level for the United States.

One of the reasons for the increase in cesarean sections is that less hospitals since the 1970’s have been delivering breech babies vaginally. Most obstetricians will send breech moms to the hospital to try to turn the baby with a procedure called external version; which has a 58% success rate. Some obstetricians also send mom’s that are breech for moxabustion from acupuncturists; which helps turn babies as well. There is another option to help turn breech babies; which has an 82% success rate and this is called the “Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique”.

I have been certified since the early 90’s and have had my share of breech baby’s turn into the head down position with this technique. Just a few weeks ago another mom came in who was breech with her fourth pregnancy. The first three were all vaginal deliveries and she wanted to do everything to help turn this baby. She had gone through the external version and she also had the moxabustion yet the baby still had not turned. She came to me three times, the baby turned and then she delivered her baby vaginally and was very happy to have avoided the c-section.

If you know of any mom who wants to avoid an unnecessary c-section please send them this video.